Looking for a career change - into HR!

[GirlFromTheMoon]

Hi everyone

I just joined the forum today and have decided to post this to see if anyone has any suggestions/advice.

I currently work in a prestigious and well-known professional services firm in their tax division. I started as a graduate about 19 months ago, and have come to the realisation that it's definitely not what I want to do for the rest of my life.

I have thought long and hard about what it is that I would like to do, and I keep coming back to either HR or psychology, or a combination of both. I have been looking into organisational psychology and it sounds like excatly what I want. The problem is that I only have a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Management) degree. I have looked into what I would need to do to become a qualified psychologist, and it is deifnitely doable.

I live in Adelaide and the university I went to offers a briding course for people who do not have undergraduate psych degrees, which can be done part-time over 2 years (or 1 year full-time), and that forges the path to then do a masters of psychology. I would be looking to embark on this diploma part-time whilst working in HR, and hopefully my employer would be supportive of this.

I am at the stage where I have updated my resume and am ready to go out there and look for jobs, however I am feeling a bit uncertain about the whole thing, especially having read some of the other threads on this forum and seeing how poeple are really struggling to find jobs in HR. I am also a bit confused about how I should go about it, seeing as I would probably have to start from scratch and work at a recruitment firm for the first couple of years. I though about going to a recruitment firm to get help finding a job, but it seems like a bit of an oxymoron if they are the very people I am inteding to work for!

Please can someone give me advice on how I should go about finding jobs? I am fully aware that I will probably need to look for entry-level/graduate jobs.

Any assitance would be much appreciated! :)

Cheers

[Moz]

Hi GirlFromTheMoon,

Do you want to work in HR or for a Recruitment firm - because they are not the same!

Working for a recruitment firm is really like working in sales, with an intangible product.

While a few HR people end up working in a recruitment firm, the vast majority of people who work in recruitment (99%) are anything but HR people.

Recruitment is of course also a function of HR, but HR people are not selling HR services, they are simply providing the service to an internal "client".

I would not advise working for a recruitment firm as a path into HR, unless you specifically want to work in recruitment within a HR team.

Be aware also, that internal dedicated recruitment specialists are usually the first HR people to go in an economic downturn.

Moz

[GirlFromTheMoon]

Thanks for your reply Moz! I guess I don't really know that much about it...hmm. I always thought that working at a recruitment firm like Hays would, as you say, be a pathway to then work in HR within a company. I am definitely not into the idea of sales at all, that is not my personality. Also, if you read between the lines in some of their job ads, it sounds like there is a lot of stress and pressure.

So, having established my elementary error, my next question is - how do you possibly get a job working in the HR function of a company? I have seen very few ads online and they are invariably looking for experienced HR people... I'm getting a bit worried about my prospects of finding a job..

Also, what do you think about the organisational psychology idea? Psychology is probably the only thing I can say that I would be really interested in studying/pursuing, and I since I also like HR, it sounds like a good combination. Has anyone followed this path, and are employers supportive of this pathway of study?

Cheers

[smithbj]

hi GirlfromtheMoon

I absolutely agree with Moz in regards to recruitment agencies - don't go there! My suggestion is to look for HR Administration roles to start; this will give you the opportunity to get exposed to the full range of HR activities whilst supporting a team of HR staff, and will hopefully given you some opportunities to develop your HR skills.

In regards to Org Psych, I suggest that you start by undertaking the more broad HR study (eg: HR Management) as this covers the full spectrum of HR activities (eg: recruitment and selection; industrial law; OHS, organisational change, etc). If you undertake this whilst working in HR Administration, you can then see how the theory is applied in practice. You could consider Psych being a major or, if you decide that you do absolutely love it, then you can undertake further study down the track.

A combination of study and working in a HR team will hopefully give you the knowledge and experience to develop your career.

Good luck!

[HRIMHO]

I disagree somewhat in regards to recruitment firms. A lot of their work is about sales and it definitely is not for most in HR (like me), however people still need to do the recruiting - shortlisting, interviewing, referee reports and the like which is HR. This is more than 1% of what they do. Additionally, companies such as Hays actually do HR consulting. Sure, sales is probably a big part of this but once again, you consult on HR issues (and some companies get new grads with no HR experience to do this - don't get me started, but it happens and is good experience for the actual individual).

I would suggest a HR Admin job would be better, however I think a recruitment company is a better option than working at Coles, Target etc as far as career paths go. I know budding HR professionals that had to choose either retailish job or recruitment firms and those in recruitment firms have got jobs back in mainstream HR within a year!

On the subject of Organisational Psychology - yes, it's an interesting field for sure, though unless you're in a very large, specific organisation then there is not much call in the HR field for dedicated org psychs. Being an org psych would assist on your resume, sure, but actually being employed as one... ironically enough, you're probably more likely to find a role in a recruitment and consultantcy company (i.e Chandler McLeod).

I think start with psychology (plenty of people in HR with psych, in fact I reckon more than with HR degrees!), concurrently work in a HR role if you can and then when you finish your psych degree then make a call on whether you want to do org psych. It sure won't hurt, but it's a lot of effort (needing supervised practice etc). You definitely can practice org psych concepts without actually being one in the HR realm.

[PsychWorks]

I've worked as an org psych for about 10 years now in my own practice. The typical areas we work in are around psychometric testing, change management, outplacement, employee assistance and coaching. Some large organisations use org psych's for internal delivery of a few of these services and the rest are outsourced if needed. It's a great career and worth looking into. I'm a bit concerned about the advice you are getting about a bridging course leading into Masters. You may find that depending on the advanced standing (credits) you get for your current degree, you may have about another 3 years PT study, then Honours, (then Masters as one option or 2 years supervision) to get fully registered as a psych. Check the psych registration board or APS website for more details. I think you need to speak to people directly involved in the areas you have an interest in and do an information interview to assess whether these areas are aligned to what you think you are looking for. Register with psychxchange to see the types of roles out there in psych. Depending on your financial situation, you might do a couple more years in the area you are currently qualified for (if you can bear it) while concurrently studying B Bus (HR major) or B Psych etc. My advice is to do your research while still working - keep your options open and definitely check what time lines / units etc are associated with your study options.

Regards

Chris

[Job Media]

So, having established my elementary error, my next question is - how do you possibly get a job working in the HR function of a company? I have seen very few ads online and they are invariably looking for experienced HR people... I'm getting a bit worried about my prospects of finding a job..


The HR job market was hit pretty hard in the GFC and while it is definitely improving it is still about 60% down on where it was in Sept 2008.

We are starting to see some entry level positions being advertised and given than you have another degree and some good commercial experience in another profession, with a second qualification in HR you should be able to find an opening. You should have an edge over straight HR grads with no commercial experience.

Being in Sydney or Melbourne would dramatically improve your chances, because most HR jobs are in "Head Office" and that's where most of them are.

[Just a Dude]

I somewhat disagree with the comments in regards to turning your back on Recruitment. It gave me a valuable grounding in a specific aspect of HR, but depending on your role in recruitment you do get to do some other aspects that are more closely related to a HR consultant the a recruitment consultant (ie onsite consultant for a large firm/account management/and just being a recruitment consultant). Yes there is a portion of sales in BOTH recruitment and hr, but it is more prominent in the recruitment industry.
If you do get a run in the recruitment field, its not the end of your career in HR, you can turn the tables around, and network with other consultants and even clients. If you prove to be a good worker in your business, and have the contacts, you can sell yourself into a HR role that another consultant/or you have landed without it ever going to market - these sorts of things DO happen.

[vegetablevn]

I somewhat disagree with the comments in regards to turning your back on Recruitment. It gave me a valuable grounding in a specific aspect of HR, but depending on your role in recruitment you do get to do some other aspects that are more closely related to a HR consultant the a recruitment consultant (ie onsite consultant for a large firm/account management/and just being a recruitment consultant). Yes there is a portion of sales in BOTH recruitment and hr, but it is more prominent in the recruitment industry.
If you do get a run in the recruitment field, its not the end of your career in HR, you can turn the tables around, and network with other consultants and even clients. If you prove to be a good worker in your business, and have the contacts, you can sell yourself into a HR role that another consultant/or you have landed without it ever going to market - these sorts of things DO happen.

Hi everybody,

You can see same topic at the side bar of this site. You can find out some thing same your questions or use search box or this site.

We also find them more same at: Career change (http://careerschange.net/)
Best rgs

[TriciaDant]

I have high respect to HRMs